Some 17 per cent of people who had injected drugs in the previous four weeks in the region said they had shared needles or syringes - a risky practice that can pass on viruses such as hepatitis and HIV.

Public Health England ran a survey on the health of people who inject drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It found that 33% of people in Northern Ireland who had injected drugs in the past year reported some symptoms of an infection at the part of their body where they stuck the needle.